Differential pressure transducer devices are used for a variety of purposes. For example, in an automotive application, one use of such transducers is to measure the difference between fuel tank pressure and atmospheric pressure. Because the application requires the transducer to measure a differential pressure, the sensor will necessarily have two inputs or ports one sensing atmospheric pressure and the other sensing fuel system pressure.
For each vehicle model in which a differential pressure transducer is used, the orientation of the two input ports with respect to each other may vary in order to optimize the mounting location of the device. For instance, in the fuel system example above, the pressure transducer is likely to be located on the vehicle somewhere between the engine compartment and the fuel source. Thus, the operating environment of the pressure transducer is likely to be subject to thermal shock and water and/or chemical spray. Since this is an undesirable environment for gathering atmospheric pressure data, the atmospheric pressure input port of the differential pressure transducer is preferably orientated to best facilitate accurate atmospheric pressure data input. In a different vehicle model, because of the location and configuration of the componentry, the orientation of the atmospheric input port may be different.
Due to their positions in a vehicle, differential pressure transducer devices are often subject to significant vibration, shock, thermal, and other forces which can cause premature failure of the device. Since most such transducers are sealed devices in order to prevent contamination and undesirable pressure influence, any cracks or openings in the devices could lead to failure or inaccurate measurements.
Thus, there exists a need for a differential pressure transducer device having variable input port configurations. A need also exists for a more desirable device which minimizes the chances for failure or inaccurate measurements.